Long years of sacrifice and hard work have finally paid off. The grueling and intense interviews are finished. You have obtained a new leadership position. Your time has come.

Are you ready? Do you have what it takes? Have you developed the crucial skills that will make you an effective leader?

Organizations continually change and doing things the way they have always been done before will not cut it today. Leaders must be flexible and observant of the environment around them. They must think strategically and prepare themselves for new adventures and challenges. Your ability to transition into leadership effectively will define your potential and your ensure success in the future. While there are many skills and qualities to master, there are three areas that will get you started on the right track: influence, coaching, and team leadership.

A good leader knows when a project has gone bad and is getting worse. I’m sure everyone can relate to an experience where a project rapidly moved toward failure. Failure is a good teacher and throughout my career I have had my fair share of good teaching experiences. One experience that had a memorable impact on me was the opportunity to assist my father on a project at his home. He had begun an extensive remodeling project on the exterior of his house. Due to unexpected scheduling conflicts with building contractors, we needed to remove some concrete stairs within 24 hours to allow the next building contractor to begin working. If the stairs were not removed in time, there would be a 3 week delay in the project.

By Steven J. Stowell, Ph.D., Matt M. Starcevich Ph.D., and Roy S. Yamahiro

Sixteen blind people entered the classroom. The trainers had great expectations. The managers had no idea what to expect.

Imagine yourself one of sixteen managers starting the second day of a week-long senior-management development program. As you walk into the classroom you note a curious change: all the tables and chairs are gone. You mill around hesitantly with other participants. No one knows what is going on.

Enter the instructor with an explanation:

Recently, I discovered an interesting article in USA Today titled “For NASA, ‘The Right Stuff’ Takes On A Softer Tone.” What caught my attention was that NASA has recognized that a successful astronaut cannot just have strong technical skills. This demanding position requires more - they have to be able to work in a close team environment. No longer does the individualist mentality work within the limited quarters of the Space Station and the lengthy stays there.

The new requirement of astronauts is to be a cooperative team player. He or she must have qualities that include: “tolerance,” “sensitivity,” “social skills,” and is “a people -person.”

Quality or Position?

There are many different types of leaders. There are those who are placed into leadership positions due to accomplishments such as consistently leading a team to success. There are also those who are placed in positions due to company politics. Others might be leaders because they are more senior and experienced within an organization. But simply being placed in a leadership position does not make you a leader. If you do not possess qualities of leadership, then people will likely only follow you because they are required to or they just want to keep their jobs. True leaders are those who make a difference and influence others as a result of the qualities they possess. They are remembered and cherished by those they influence.

What it is and why it is important.

Motivation is an internal desire and force that drives us to accomplish tasks and goals. In the ideal situation, we learn, develop skills, and grow as individuals as we move towards these goals. So, as leaders, the growth and development of employees should be a major part of the planning process as we set goals with team members. But to do it effectively a leader needs to understand what motivates each team member. When a leader is able to motivate a team member and help them feel involved, positive results will begin to unfold.

Igniting The Strategic Spark In Others

If the whole purpose of leadership is to leverage talent and achieve results through the efforts of others, then leaders have a very special stewardship when it comes to igniting the strategic spark in others. Leaders who understand the essence of this part of leadership have a golden opportunity to mine strategic ideas and capitalize on strategic actions of others. All it takes is a willingness to teach and motivate others about how to think and operate strategically. This in turn creates an organization that is prepared and ready to seize opportunities and head off catastrophes, which translates into better operating results down the road. But there is a tradeoff; it does require an upfront investment, discipline, and a skill set that unfortunately are foreign to some leaders.

When you hear the word Coaching, what comes to mind? You may see and treat it as a separate task, as a “side dish” on the menu of business responsibilities. You will lose a lot of leverage and influence if you view coaching in the narrow context of correcting deficiencies in performance.

Our view is that coaching is an integral part of management, an indispensable tool and fundamental way of relating to team members. Managers resist the coaching role when they view it as an extra job in the busy day. However, when they see that the skills of coaching can improve their interactions throughout the day, then the enhancement of these skills generates a great deal of interest and excitement. Many leaders find that coaching can improve business results, lead to greater leadership satisfaction, and better time management and greater levels of performance from others.

For a long time, we have been an advocate for leadership development, succession planning, and the transfer of talent. You simply can’t run an organization successfully for long without a stable of competent leaders. Furthermore, organizations must actively nurture leadership. Professional grade leadership skills, behaviors and qualifications don’t just spontaneously occur without the investment, discipline and training that can only come through the organization.